Injured turtle rolls through recovery with a Lego wheelchair

A wild turtle is now a Lego enthusiast after receiving a custom wheelchair made from the plastic bricks.

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore took in an injured Eastern box turtle suffering from fractures on the underside of his shell in July. The zoo's hospital staff performed surgery on the turtle to stabilize the plastron with metal plates, clasps and surgical wire.

After the surgery, the next challenge was figuring out how to keep the bottom of the turtle's shell off the ground during his recovery.

Lego to the rescue

"They don't make turtle-sized wheelchairs. So, we drew some sketches of a customized wheelchair and I sent them to a friend who is a Lego enthusiast," said Garrett Fraess, a fourth-year veterinary student doing a clinical rotation at the zoo. Fraess' friend then worked up a wheelchair design.

The chair consists of a frame that goes around the turtle's shell. Plumber's putty helps hold it in place while four Lego wheels give the turtle mobility. The zoo released a video showing how the turtle gets around in his Lego contraption.